Adding Oxygen ?

[Hoosier Daddy]

Been on Cpap a few years now and not feeling any better. I know when I had my sleep study they had to add oxygen because they told me mine dropped to 70% while sleeping and that few hours I slept there was the best I ever remember sleeping, and that was strange because I was very uncomfortable, bed was too small all the wires glued to me, had to stay in 1 position and so forth. I told my doctor (just about begged) and he said I didn't need oxygen, I have a resmed 10 set at 9.0 and it ain't doing it. Sorry for the rambling but I want to get my own machine and use it with my Cpap. I'm looking for advice, what do you think ?

[Pugsy]

How do you know that your oxygen levels are still dropping too low even using your cpap and I assume optimally?

If you aren't using an overnight recording pulse oximeter to actually see for sure what your oxygen levels might be doing....that's the first thing you need to get done.

Much cheaper initial investment anyway....plus you really need to know for sure if you need added oxygen or not.
Most people whose initial oxygen drops during the diagnostic sleep study will find that they don't happen with optimized therapy if sleep apnea was the only cause for the oxygen drops.
Now there can be health issues going on that cause significant oxygen desats even with optimized therapy but people with those issues should be under a doctor's care for them and not winging it by adding O2 on their own.

[Hoosier Daddy]

OK, like I said they added it when I had my test and told me so, I am on cpap only for the low oxygen, my sinus surgery helped my apnea pretty much go away. I had a knee replacement a year ago and while on my cpap in the hosp the oxygen alarm went off, they took me off the cpap and put me on oxygen. I explained this to my Dr and he won't add oxygen, I would try to find a different Dr but I live in a rural area have crappy ins and guess I would have to have all testing redone. Thanks for the quick reply. I only go by the myair numbers which are in the high 90's daily, can't concentrate enough to figure out the other options.

[Pugsy]

Get an overnight recording pulse oximeter....between 50 and 100 dollars depending on features you want.
Then you can shove the results under your doctors nose and prove the need if it shows the need.
You really need to prove need first before just adding oxygen. Not just for the doctor but for your own body's best interest.

You can self treat by buying your own oxygen delivery but it's not healthy to be using it unless you really need it plus even if you do need it you need some way of monitoring yourself to make sure you are getting the right amount of oxygenated flow.
There's more to it than just using it....the right amount of flow needs to be used to maintain right mixture.

[KatieW]

I recently bought this one. It works with Oscar software, so syncs with your reports.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0796 ... UTF8&psc=1

[Hoosier Daddy]

Thanks you for the replies, I don't ever try to self medicate but I'm at my wits end. Those few hours I slept during my test were unreal, I was drooling and felt like I was in heaven. I know you're looking out for my best health but can doing this myself cause any harm ? I may try the oximeter but really would like to try oxygen since my Dr refuses to listen to me.

[Julie]

Have you actually had a new sleep study (for apnea) since surgery, or did you just figure it cleared up the apnea? Lots of us have had that done (not me) but still needed Cpap afterward... apneas happen when your throat is too narrow for air to go through, not when sinuses work or not.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Have you actually had a new sleep study (for apnea) since surgery, or did you just figure it cleared up the apnea? Lots of us have had that done (not me) but still needed Cpap afterward... apneas happen when your throat is too narrow for air to go through, not when sinuses work or not.

I had the surgery before the sleep study which was my 2nd SS, 1st SS I could not tolerate the mask due to the deviated septum.

[Pugsy]

can doing this myself cause any harm ?

Yes....you can potentially harm yourself by just adding oxygen without monitoring it.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen_toxicity

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/ ... tely-ill#1

https://acphospitalist.org/archives/201 ... -thing.htm

[Hoosier Daddy]

What confuses me is why would they add it during the sleep study but not during home treatment ? I want to stop cpap, I feel it's a waste of time money and hope.

[Hoosier Daddy]

I posted this thread in the hopes that someone has done this with success and can give me a little help. I swore I read a thread here a while back, but maybe it wasn't from this forum.

[Pugsy]

What confuses me is why would they add it during the sleep study but not during home treatment

When OSA is the cause of the oxgyen drops......Because normally using cpap prevents the apnea events from ever happening and it's the apnea events that are causing the drops. Once someone is using cpap there is simply no need to add oxygen. My oxygen levels went to 70% without cpap but with cpap they never drop at all. Using cpap fixed my low oxygen issues. That's the way it works for most people.

Now if something else is the cause of the oxygen drops then obviously cpap probably won't fix an issue not related to sleep apnea.

Spend 50 to 100 bucks and use the pulse ox with and without using cpap while sleeping....know for sure what is going on with your oxygen instead of guessing based on what happened in the past and wondering why or why not the medical team did anything.

If you still have OSA causing desats....doesn't mean you can ditch cpap and just add O2 because having sleep apnea means the oxygenated air still isn't getting to the lungs because of the obstructions.

If you are going to self treat....do it right and not half assed based on your desire to lose the cpap. You can cause serious harm to yourself by not doing it right.

[Goofproof]

What confuses me is why would they add it during the sleep study but not during home treatment ? I want to stop cpap, I feel it's a waste of time money and hope.

Probably the same reasons they didn't use a Full Face mask, when they found you had trouble breathing thru your nose, as they should have done.

As far as feeling better on the O2, maybe it was the fact you weren't starving for O2, or the may have a little Laughing Gas to take the edge off....

Get and use the Real Softer "Oscar", to monitor the data from your machine. (It can be posted here for help). But a Recording Pulse Ox, THAT works with Oscar, to see what is really going on.

Wanting to stop XPAP is up to you. It's your life, help it or waste it, it's yours to do as you wish. Maybe your next Sleep Study will be done correctly. (Without a knife)

Jim

[chunkyfrog]

What confuses me is why would they add it during the sleep study but not during home treatment ?
I want to stop cpap,
. . .

I think I figured this out.
Logic does not work with this one.

[Hoosier Daddy]

What confuses me is why would they add it during the sleep study but not during home treatment

When OSA is the cause of the oxgyen drops......Because normally using cpap prevents the apnea events from ever happening and it's the apnea events that are causing the drops. Once someone is using cpap there is simply no need to add oxygen. My oxygen levels went to 70% without cpap but with cpap they never drop at all. Using cpap fixed my low oxygen issues. That's the way it works for most people.

Now if something else is the cause of the oxygen drops then obviously cpap probably won't fix an issue not related to sleep apnea.

Spend 50 to 100 bucks and use the pulse ox with and without using cpap while sleeping....know for sure what is going on with your oxygen instead of guessing based on what happened in the past and wondering why or why not the medical team did anything.

If you still have OSA causing desats....doesn't mean you can ditch cpap and just add O2 because having sleep apnea means the oxygenated air still isn't getting to the lungs because of the obstructions.

If you are going to self treat....do it right and not half assed based on your desire to lose the cpap. You can cause serious harm to yourself by not doing it right.

Very informative posts from you ! I wish I could figure out the oscar stuff but I just have a hard time concentrating. I will get an oximeter and see what happens. I Have figured already how to add the oxygen but I'll wait to order that stuff until I see what my levels are. My quality of life is terrible so it has me thinking so the oxygen can't make it any worse, but I'll try to do everything in steps. Thank you.